Going green – it’s about more than the cars Service chief warns on false economies

As we start to reroof Waterloo, we’ll install solar too. Th good news for us, and our guests, is that we’re being far more energy efficient, so much so that we estimate well have paid pack our initial investment in the panels in just over five years.

Sydney City Toyota’s General Manager Service, Con Hatzivasiliou has strongly urged guests to beware of dangerous cost-cutting measures being offered by some non-franchised workshops. There’s increasing evidence some workshops are eliminating vital services in order to win jobs through lower costs.

“We’ve found recent evidence of workshops deleting a brake fluid change from their schedule, simply to bring their costs down and win the business, “Con said.

“Naturally they don’t tell their customer.”

Avoiding a brake fluid change can lead to brake failure at worst, and even before that catastrophe it can result in expensive repairs to damaged callipers and master cylinders.

“It’s totally false economy, but it’s one of the tricks unscrupulous operators are employing to pull the wool over their customers’ eyes. “Con said.

“In reality, the saving is minimal, but the risk is huge.”

Con cites incidents where he has found all fluids, including even the windscreen washer solvent to have been left out of non-compliant services.

“We make a habit of involving the spare tyre in tyre rotations to get the most efficient life out of the tyres and to maximise traction.

“It’s not something we see being practices elsewhere. “

A service stamp in your logbook more than makes up for the difference. A Toyota with a proven record of service at a franchised dealer is always likely to be more valuable at time of trade-in or resale.”